The Lenten Struggle
Lent is the perfect time to struggle with the ego
By Abbot Tryphon, March 26, 2019
Modern psychology has told us we must feel good about ourselves and instructed us to reject the idea of guilt and sin. Sin is seen as religion’s instrument for keeping people in line, making them dependent on an institution that should be relegated to the Dark Ages. In an age where man is elevated to being his own god, religion is seen as a sort of enslavement. Up with self! Down with guilt!
Self as the new god is worshiped and enthroned in the position of utmost importance at the expense of community. This worship of self has contributed to the downfall of families and societal stability, where careers, social and financial gain, and self-fulfillment, reigns supreme.
Divine love does not tolerate this elevated status of self, for the ego is the enemy of our communion with God. Worship of self dooms us to a life of total loss.
We were created for communion with God, and the worship of the ego has led us into a state of spiritual bankruptcy. The total meltdown of moral and spiritual well-being is the direct result of the turning away from spiritual values, and has resulted in the spiritual death of our nation. We need to return to the worship of God, and reject the worship of self.
The denial of guilt and sin is the ultimate example of our having accepted the lie perpetrated by the devil, who is the great deceiver. True happiness and true wealth come only through the fulfillment of our destiny, and that for which we were created, communion with God. The destruction of the ego begins with repentance and the acquisition of a humble and a contrite heart. The period of Great Lent is the perfect time to do battle with the ego.
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
~Abbot Tryphon, The Morning Offering, https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/morningoffering/2019/03/the-lenten-struggle/.
Putting off the Old Self
In Christ we become new creatures and the old self is put aside
By Abbot Tryphon, December 26, 2019
As we struggle to make spiritual progress we do battle with the old self. We work against old habits that have kept us stuck and prevented the change we so desire in our quest for communion with God. Our sins and passions have become familiar to us, almost like old friends, and laziness sets in. We have become comfortable with the way we are and change seems like too much work.
Spiritual laxity and sinful habits must be confronted with a renewed commitment to live as a child of God. This struggle comes with a price tag, requiring real work on our part. The Kingdom of Heaven must be taken by storm, but this struggle does not require us to battle on our own, for the Holy Spirit empowers us with the grace sufficient to win the battle over the old self. In Christ we become new creatures and the old self is put aside.
With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
~Abbot Tryphon, The Morning Offering, https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/morningoffering/2019/12/putting-off-the-old-self/.
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